The Standard Newspaper, in Kenya, recently ran a feature highlighting the fantastic work of the Dandora White Charcoal Youth Group. Peter Mwangi and Joseph Ndinya talk abou the genesis of the organisation, their environmental and social mission, their approach to entrepreneurship and their work with charities and NGOs (including Fuel from Waste, through their associates at Kenyatta University) in supporting and extending their mission.

“Eight years ago, Peter Mwangi and Joseph Ndinya stared at death. Mwangi was walking to a football pitch to join his friends in preparation for an upcoming football tournament when the police arrested him.

The policemen, he says, alleged that he was among the gang that terrorised motorists in the area — a claim he denied.

“They pointed a gun at me and I thought I was going to die. I was later released. They didn’t have evidence against me,” Mwangi recalls.

He says police have shot many young men in Dandora on similar allegations, some totally innocent.

The deadly incident completely changed the lives of the two from slum idlers to businessmen.

The duo are members of White Charcoal Youth Group located in Dandora. The youth group makes eco friendly charcoal from waste paper and saw dust.”

The full story can be read via the link above, or you can donwload a pdf version, here: Slum boys’ trade that is a ‘death’ armour – Dandora News

“A one A we self-help group is running a door to door campaign for fuel from waste. Its core business is production of briquettes. This involves a lot of waste collection and management.

A problem is that not many people are using briquettes and the demand is already high. Many groups in this location are involved in income generating activities but a very small percentage is using waste to produce fuel.

Production of briquettes also needs a lot of players and a well-coordinated materials collection plan.

A one A we will demonstrate that briquettes production is a viable income generating activity that helps keep the environment clean.

Kia Maiko is a slum area that hosts the largest goat meat market in Nairobi and produces tons of slaughter house waste. Firewood is the main fuel used for domestic and commercial cooking.

We are planning to produce briquettes and stoves to meet the demand in this location. We shall also exhibit a machine that produces 50 briquettes and hour and is operated by one person; we are in the process of making it better.

The event will also be a chance to introduce Fuel from Waste for groups in the neighborhood.

In parallel, we will be running a Newma/Afenet meeting – our 3rd coordination meeting since the waste management at the Giraffe Center.

We will have representatives from the African Fund for Endangered Wildlife, Afenet members and all other associated groups.

We shall demonstrate the processes of briquettes production as a waste management initiative.

We shall also learn other waste management tips from all participants.

ALL ARE WELCOME

Sponsored By: A ONE A WE SELF-HELP GROUP – Another way of saying togetherness

A full news report, from Kenyan TV company GBS (Good news Broadcasting System) based in Nairobi – http://gbskenya.com/ – on the march, rally and activities on World Volunteers Day, in Kariobangi, Nairobi.

Deficient municipal waste management is causing huge problems with health and resources in many areas of Nairobi.

The volunteer groups, who are mobilising their communities to tackle these problems, led the way on the march and during the activities on the day.

Their focus was the sorting and reusing of waste and tree-planting. Attacking the problem in a pincer movement of recycling and growth.

The YCCAN (Youths Climate Change Adaptation Network) have been very active over the last few months.

They were founded in 2009 and are located in Nairobi, Kenya. They focus on offering climate change and environmental conservation awareness through education – mainly to youths, helping them to grow as environmentally conscious citizens.

MISSION – “Get educated wherever”, Conserve, Mobilise, Invent

Recent achievements and progression include:

– YCCAN and school partnerships participating in tree planting activities.

– SOLAR COOKER INTERNATIONAL agrees to come for solar energy demonstration in the schools YCCAN is partnering with.

– Africa Environmental Film Foundation has donated twenty two documentaries to enhance awareness by Film viewing.

Lots of photos from the event now up on the Flickr link. Showing the lead-in, preparation, lots of the people and places in the FfW network, the exhibition of technology and produce at the event and the unConference generative co-design activity.

A new gallery and posting about the unConference, from the perspective of redLoop – the mdx design and innovation centre, one of the network partners, about their involvement in the Service Design of the event.

The storytelling and co-design sessions were a great success. We managed to create, debate and agree a vision for the starting point for developing a plan for briquetting (and other Fuel from Waste activities).

The fantastic ideas, that we distilled this from, will be up on our Flickr site, presently.

We’ve been working on developing and refining this plan, and what it could be/mean in reality, with the FfW community. More to come soon. :)